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#LoveMe Challenge – Day 19

I seriously dislike the word ‘hate’. I don’t feel like I ‘hate’ anything. There are things that make me feel uncomfortable and there are things that I dislike – certain tastes or smells for example, but I would never say that I ‘hate’ them. I also feel extremely uncomfortable when people talk about their hatred for other people. How can anyone justify their hatred of someone? Usually a feeling of ‘hatred’ stems historically or through a feeling of peer pressure, through isolated groups attacking one other. When asking someone why they feel the anger that they do I would bet 9 times out of 10 at least that they would not be able to reasonably justify their answer.

Hate is such a negative word. How can anyone be happy when they use it? How can anyone think positively and work towards a brighter future and better relationships when using it? I found an interesting definition of the word which interpreted the word as stemming from fear, anger or sense of injury. At least two of those words are associated with the person using the word feeling threatened by those they are targeting. I wonder if the same can be said for current situations in the world, whether action is being taken through fear or the sense of being threatened with injury or even death. It’s a thought worth considering. It could also be interpreted as a sign of weakness, and therefore that hatred can be stemmed through a feeling of weakness. The third word, anger, is often incorrectly associated with hatred but in fact these are two very different feelings and emotions. It can be argued however, that extreme anger is a form of hatred as severe action is carried out at this point.

In psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud defined hate as an ego state that wishes to destroy the source of its unhappiness. Although many psychologists believe hatred to be a form of attitude rather than a temporary emotional state.

How do you feel about the word ‘hate’? Is there anything you feel strongly about?